A few days break before another hot spell

August 22, 2013|Tribune staff and WGN-TV

Lamarc Johnson, 14, left, and Daviontay Stokley, 12, reach for a loose ball while playing an early morning game of basketball with friends on Thursday at at Ogden Park in Chicago. (Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune)

After hitting 90 degrees for the first time in a month, the weather will chill out today and Friday before steaming up again next week.

The high today will reach into the lower 80s, with showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, according to the National Weather Service. The high Friday may be in the upper 70s. By Sunday, the highs will start climbing back into the 90s.

The 90 recorded at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday marked the city’s warmest temperature in 33 days and only the 7th official 90-degree reading this year. By comparison, 40 days in the 90s were on the books this time a year ago -- nearly six times this year's tally.

To date, a string of four consecutive 90-degree days is the longest so far this summer: July 16-19.

The hot spell expected to start later this weekend has the potential to be as hot or even hotter. Mid-90s are predicted for Chicago by Monday.